Finding Privacy in the Cotswolds

Composed mostly of the hills of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, the Cotswolds is the largest of the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) located in England. Its quaint village settings and historic significance make it an attractive location for those looking to enjoy a slice of English country life in a home, a holiday or even a day trip.

While the Cotswolds has always been popular, in the last 20 years its desirability and its property prices have soared. From city dwellers looking to find their country nest to affluent foreign buyers, the nature of the area is under flux. Visitor numbers are up, and a small but significant number of properties here are second homes. With these factors in mind, privacy and security for all Cotswold home-owners can be a hot topic.

Creating Privacy at Home

The traditional stone garden walls of the area are both charming to visitors and attractive to those seeking privacy. For those without stone walls, privacy can be achieved using plants and creative fencing. Semi-mature poplars interspersed with lower hedges are a great way to create a screen around your home or garden without upsetting the neighbours. The trick here is to not completely block the view on to your property, but to produce a vista which doesn’t encourage visitors to the area to stop and look in without feeling they are intruding.

Accessible Privacy

Usually facing directly towards the front door, the driveway to a property is often the spot where people take the opportunity to stop and look in at the residence. For this reason, homeowners in the area are increasingly looking to install solid wooden gates or gates with panels to obscure the view of passers-by. The only downside to this is access.

In the summer months especially, traffic in some areas of the Cotswolds can be heavy. Stopping and pulling over to open the gates to your home is not always practical. Many homeowners are now looking at automatic gates in Gloucestershire such as those from protonaccesscontrol.com.

Naturally, with so many celebrities and public figures choosing to live in the area, it’s no wonder that visitors are curious to catch a glimpse of those who live here. Still, with a little effort, privacy can be achieved even in this most desirable of areas.